Welcome To Pilgrims and Pioneers!

After many years of researching my family geneaology I have been lucky enough to discover actual information about my relatives that lived in the Pilgrim Era and the Pioneer Era- while many people also have realtives from those eras- many do not know their names or where they lived- actually seeing the proof in print makes you much more aware of who they really were.
After discovering these relatives it of course made me curious to learn more about the eras that they lived in and what their lives were like as, the history I learned in grade school had long since been forgotten.
I decided to start this blog for others who are also interested in these eras.
Some of the information here will be actual facts about my realtives and some will be information about the eras in general that I have found on the web.
I hope you will enjoy traveling back in time with me!

Monday, May 30, 2011

Memorial Day




My family has a long list of service men- HH "Tip" Dow




Ladowick Underhill




Emmet Underhill




Capt. Edward Bump




and probably many I have not yet found in my genealogical research.




The two most recent are my husband and my brother. My husband is not well documented in photos but I did find one of my brother that my Mom had put in the local paper. It was taken in 1966.




To all men and women who have served I thank you.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

I Made Soap Today!

Today I tried my hand at making handmade soap!
I am not sure how well it turned out at it is still in the mold.
Hope fully I did things right!
I will keep you updated and take pics if it turns out!

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Free Mulch and the first green onions

My neighrbor brought over his grass clippings today- I was delighted! Very kind of him!
I spread one batch this morning and will spread the rest after supper tonight.
Hubby had the first green onions from the garden at lunch today- 35 days after planting! Amazing!

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Plants in the Pilgrim Garden




The garden is making progress!




There are about 45 green beans plants through and 6 pea plants, 9 baby stalks of sweet corn , four zuchini plants, four sunflowers and, 2 scarlet runner beans. There are approximatley 2 dozen radishes through and the green onions have all sprouted tops.




As of today no lima beans through yet and the garden has lost two cucumber plants and a cantaloupe plant.

Monday, May 16, 2011

A Fact About Old Time Soap Making



I have been considering making soap.






I often wondered since there wasn't any lye back in those times how the ash made soap. I found this online- so now I know!


I've never found that salt does squat for hardness (unless I'm making a salt bar where the salt is in huge quantities). Salt was used way back when sodium hydroxide wasn't available and people made their own caustic out of ashes - but that was potassium based caustic. Then salt was boiled with the soap to convert the potassium salts of fatty acids (soft soap) to sodium salts.

Friday, May 13, 2011

The Pilgrim Garden Continues to Grow!



Yesterday was a big planting day.



The garden got three cherry tomato plants, three yellow heirloom tomato plants, 4 muskmelon plants, a row of lima beans, chives, thyme , more basil, and garlic chives, more beets and Swiss Chard.



Today it got 4 Basil plants for a jump start and 2 mint plants. I wanted watermelon plants but a woman bought the last three right in front of me! So I bought a packet of seed and will start them in little pots. I have started mulching and just as I did the raim came!



Woo Hoo- no dragging water to the garden today!

The photo is last years watermelon plants.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Progress In a Pilgrim Garden!!



Yesterday and today were very planting productive.



The garden now has 175 onion sets, 12 big onion plants, beets, Swiss chard, radishes, lettuce, basil, peas, green beans. sweet corn, 4 types of bell peppers, 5 types of tomatoes, cauliflower, zucchini, eggplant.



Tomorrow I will plant Indian corn, pumpkins, okra and I am not sure what else- my space is big but i t is getting full although I can fit in a little more.



Hopefiully it does as good as it did last year!

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

What a nice RAK!



This what my kind friend did for me this morning- tilled my garden spot! I will be forever greatful!



Saturday, May 7, 2011

Westward Ho!!

Youu too can ride the old wagon trails just like the pioneers.
Go here for details





http://www.americanprofile.com/articles/wagon-trains-pioneer-history-oregon-trail/

Spring Blooms!

Even though it is still pretty cool here my Spring Flowers are starting to bloom.
I have two types of bleeding hearts.
The flowering crab tree will soon be loaded with blooms.
The strawberry plants were one plant last year- I hope they continue to spread.
I wonder if my great grandmothers had bleeding hearts?


































Prairie Wild Morning Glory

Prairie  Wild Morning Glory

Prairie Phlox

Prairie Phlox

Prairie Sundrops

Prairie Sundrops

The Famous Rock!

The Famous Rock!
Plymouth Rock dated 1620

Plimoth Plantation

Plimoth Plantation
The Village

Plimoth Plantation

Plimoth Plantation
A Keeping Room